This was sent to me by my buddy Scott Bierer of Mess No.1 ... Ohio boys!  What do you think.  He left the descrïption with it.

 

--Last edited by Ken Cornett on 2007-08-18 23:47:31 --

Ken

In the top image on the center soldier, any idea what is sticking from his belt in front of his bayonet.  It looks like a pistol barrel, but his hands block anything above the waist.

Great images, I like the top one as it shows the different and personal ways each of the boys would be wearing their own hat.  


In the bottom photo, the boys holding their rifles backwards to display the barrels.  And do their haversack straps look to have a stripe down the middle or is that something with the image?

Wonderful pictures, that prompted me to come out of hiding and ask a question...

I always struggle with the question, "Is this image reversed?"

In the first image the central man has his bayonet scabbard on the left, so that looks right. Then there's a man with his cap box on the left. Maybe he just prefers it there.

The second image is certainly reversed, because the brass is. But he's holding his rifle on the "right" and his cartridge box is on the "right."

In the third image the men are apparently standing at order arms with rifles on the right. But if that's the case, their accoutrements are reversed.

I realize that the second and third pictures are posed, and that the photographer or his subjects may have arranged things the way they thought looked best. And photography may have been new enough then that people of that period accepted reversed images. Most photographs of the period were positives, right? Images formed directly on glass or metal. Did they all start out reversed? When I see a "correctly oriented" image in a book, is it only because an editor has reversed it to make it correct for my eyes? Am I making a mountain out of a molehill, or just not understanding something?

Since this is my first post, I'll say... the "Ohio Boys" title attracted me because I'm an Ohio boy. Got interested in my family history, sent off for muster and pension records, joined the SUVCW, some of my camp are reenactors, and I'd like to get involved too. I plan to attend several events in upcoming months as a spectator, and I hope to talk to people from the various Ohio groups while I'm taking it all in.

Two things I look for to see if an image is reversed are the overlaps on men's coats (women's dresses could go either way) and the hammers on the rifles. Both are almost never the opposite way in real life. In this case, they indicate that all three photos are reversed.

Original period photos which were reversed by nature of the process:

Tintype, daguerrotypes, some ambrotypes depending on how they were coated.

Original period photos which were generally not reversed:

Paper prints (CDVs, stereos, etc.) and some ambrotypes depending on how they were coated.

Paper prints *could* be reversed then just like now, if the negative was accidently used with the wrong side toward the paper, but it wouldn't be on purpose.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

Quote :

lhsnj wrote : Ken In the top image on the center soldier, any idea what is sticking from his belt in front of his bayonet.  It looks like a pistol barrel, but his hands block anything above the waist.

Sure looks like a pistol to me, I think I see the triger guard and a bit of the handle just in front of his hand.

Greg, it sure looks like a pistol, but I'm not going to guarantee it.  How little of a round would it be?

Could it be a "police pistol" colt?  I think those were 32 caliber or 36 caliber.  They were small enough to fit into a pocket. hence their other name a pocket pistol..

Colt produced revolvers for the civilian trade as well, and the two most popular were the twin .36 caliber, 5-shot Pocket Navy and Pocket Police Models. These models were serial numbered together, up to 48,000, with slightly less than 20,000 Pocket Navy's being pro- duced. The Police came in various barrel lengths from 3 1/2 to 6 1/2 inches, while the Pocket Navy came in 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 inch barrel lengths. Here again, many volunteers carried their personally owned Pocket Pistols with them when the went off to fight in the War Between the States.

http://www.civilwarguns.com/9611.html

A friend of mine has an original and it is a small little thing like they say.

Some of the guys in the background of the first photo have on gaiters. Looks like the cross strap on a single bag knapsack. He has a small revolver in his belt. I can't believe how clear the first two pictures are. Very nice.

Grumpy,

Is that a buckle on the cross strap, near his left arm?

Bunch of damn Farbs in the background of that first photo. No self respecting reenactor would think of showing up at an event with a kepi like most of those guys are wearing!  

Quote :

scott wrote :Since this is my first post, I'll say... the "Ohio Boys" title attracted me because I'm an Ohio boy. Got interested in my family history, sent off for muster and pension records, joined the SUVCW, some of my camp are reenactors, and I'd like to get involved too. I plan to attend several events in upcoming months as a spectator, and I hope to talk to people from the various Ohio groups while I'm taking it all in.

Since you live near Lancaster, OH, you've got a decent choice of units to choose from that base out of the area.

My unit, the 30th OVI, bases out of the Columbus area.  The 91st and 121st are also in the neighborhood, as well as some others.

The next (fairly) nearby event you could attend is at Zoar, Ohio the weekend of Sept. 14-16.  Most of the local units will have men there.

Feel free to email me at bbiederm@columbus.rr.com if I can be of assistance in hooking you up with a unit or any questions you may have.

Thanks for the info about reversed tintypes et al., and about Ohio reenacting units. I hope to visit Zoar, Mill Springs, and Perryville and talk to people. Perhaps I'll see some of you there.